Russia’s lower house has denounced steps taken by the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly to hold a vote to reduce the powers of the Russian delegation. The MPs also threatened a walkout if the vote goes ahead.

“Attempts are being made to destroy the channels and the very
foundation of the all-European inter-parliamentary dialogue with
participation of the Russian Federation that has been effectively
working within the PACE framework” reads the statement
prepared by State Duma speaker and heads of all four
parliamentary caucuses and approved by the unanimous voting on
Tuesday. The document also calls the recent suggestion to deprive
Russia’s delegation in the assembly as “the most destructive
factor built on the biased reports and assessments of the
situation in Crimea.”

Russian lawmakers stressed that the dispute between Russia and
the Council of Europe was only in the interest of “the forces
that are not happy with the development of a multi-sided and
successful cooperation between Russia and its European
partners.” They also called upon colleagues from PACE to
stand up against radical nationalism, attempts to bait European
countries against each other and the resurgence of Cold War
phobias, expressing hope that cooperation will not become a
hostage to the political situation and a target of external
manipulation.

The day before, State Duma speaker Sergey Naryshkin accused
“the partners across the ocean” of backing the
anti-Russian sentiments in PACE, and called the suggestion to
suspend the Russian delegation’s voting right a provocation and a
blow to democratic values, as well as the very essence of
parliamentarianism.

The head of the Lower House Committee for foreign affairs,
Aleksey Pushkov, told fellow deputies that the Russian delegation
to PACE intended to leave a session if the question of depriving
it of powers is put to a vote.

“We admit the possibility that the anti-Russian passions
could prevail in PACE, but in this case we consider it necessary
not to allow the vote to strip the Russian delegation of its
powers. If we see that is likely the Russian delegation would
walk out of the session before the actual vote and thus there
will be no one to deprive of powers. We will not give our
opponents the pleasure to vote for our exemption,” Pushkov
promised.

"This does not mean that we plan to completely quit the
Council of Europe and the Parliamentary Assembly. In late 2014 we
can again raise the questions of our powers in a different
political environment,” the politician added.

The flamboyant leader of the Liberal-Democratic party Vladimir
Zhirinovsky, suggested Russia started paying its membership fee
to PACE at the end of the year to allow itself more space for
maneuver while facing the threat of expulsion.